Alexander's final message

There is a story about the last days of warrior king of Macedonia Alexander. The story goes that while he was on his death bed and the end seemed imminent, Alexander called his trusted wise men near his bed and gave them the instructions to be followed after his death. The first was that all the best doctors of his kingdom would lead the funeral procession. The second instruction was that the gems, gold and diamonds in his treasure that Alexander had amassed during his many victories across the world be thrown along the course of his funeral procession. The third instruction was that while placing his body in the coffin his hands should be kept hanging outside. 

Baffled by the strange last wish one of the wise men asked the king what was the significance of these three instructions. With a rather painful yet confident smile Alexander explained his three wishes to his wise men. The first instruction to ask the doctors to lead the funeral procession was to prove that though he had too many doctors at his beck and call yet he could not be saved. Death, then, is inevitable. 

The second instruction asking them to strew the gems, diamonds and gold along the path of funeral procession was to prove that though he amassed so much wealth, he could not carry it to the other world. He had to leave it here. The third instruction to let his hands hang outside the coffin was to prove that in the end you depart empty-handed. Just the way you had come into this world. 

There is no means to ascertain whether the story is true or imaginary, and whether the instructions could be carried out or not. However, even if it is a story, there is a great lesson to be learnt. The moral of the story, thus, is that death is a great leveller and it visits the prince and the pauper with the same degree of nonchalance. And most importantly, all your wealth has to be left here in this world. Nothing can be carried to the other world. You enter this world with zero balance and the other world too with the zero balance. But the point is that why it takes so long to realise this basic truth. Why do people spend their entire lifetime in the futile pursuit of material wealthIJ

A difficult question that perhaps can only be answered through realisation that usually comes in the face of death at the fag end of the life. It is ignorance or avidya that makes human beings run after maya or illusion. Many before Alexander must have realised this. Many after him would also have realised this.

But the lesson could not be learnt by human beings. Such is the power of maya that even the wise get entrapped. Was it not the pursuit of a golden deer that befuddled lord Ram and blunted his reason, thus resulting in miseryIJ Maya is a formidable enemy and it can only be challenged through reason that leads to inner awakening.

But how to listen to this voice of reason is the main issue. Particularly because it is there in all of us and keeps trying to awaken us. The enemy number one is the ego that gives us the vanity resulting from a false sense of invincibility.

The writer teaches management at Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (Jharkhand). He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com